“The Postal Service has hard choices to make, but this is a bad choice.”

WASHINGTON – The Affordable Mail Alliance (AMA), a broad coalition of postal customers and suppliers, announced its deep disappointment in the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors’ decision to formally request an “exigent” postal rate increase that, if approved, would result in an average January 2014 postage hike of just under six percent, almost four times the rate of inflation. They also voiced their united determination to oppose the request at the independent Postal Regulatory Commission.

“The Board of Governors’ decision to approve the filing of a rate increase is a shortsighted action. It does nothing to secure the Postal Service’s long-term viability and has a net effect of driving away volume and costing jobs in an industry that has already lost more than one million jobs since 2007. The Postal Service has hard choices to make, but this is a bad choice.” said the Direct Marketing Association’s Jerry Cerasale.

In 2010, when the Postal Service Board of Governors first filed for an “exigent” rate increase, the Affordable Mail Alliance successfully opposed the planned increase before the Postal Regulatory Commission. Members of the Affordable Mail Alliance are now determined to renew their fight, despite the inevitable diversion of time and resources from the important pursuit of comprehensive postal reform legislation.

“Opposing this exigent rate case will unfortunately divert the entire mailing industry’s time and resources away from more productive ways of ensuring a financially healthy and sustainable Postal Service. Unfortunately the decision leaves us no choice but to engage in litigation against the exigency filing at the Commission.” said Tony Conway of the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers.

The Affordable Mail Alliance is an unprecedented coalition of postal customers that includes charities and other non-profit organizations, consumer groups, small businesses, banks, periodicals, insurance companies, Fortune 500 companies, trade associations, companies who provide printing, mailing, and fulfillment services, and other customers who use the Post Office every day. The members represent many of the Postal Service's biggest customers – and many of its smallest – who use every major class of mail – and each of whom would be severely impacted by an increase in postage rates well in excess of inflation.

The National Newspaper Association is a member of the Affordable Mail Alliance, which also opposes the exigency rate.